"I've got a surprise or two for you, Xiang!" Capet stood quickly and thrust a finger at his foe. "You may believe yourself my superior in combat, but I've learned many things here on Solaris . . ."
Justin steepled his fingers and sat back. "Have you learned not to blunder into ambushes, Philip?"
Capet shook his head. A camera swung around to get a better shot of his face. "What you did to Armstrong, you will not do to me."
Justin looked up. "I was hardly thinking of that incident, Philip. I referred to Uravan."
A cry of inarticulate rage bubbled from Capet's throat, but Johnson crossed back quickly and interposed himself between the two MechWarriors. He shoved Capet roughly back, then made the mistake of turning to smile at the camera. Capet's punch caught him in the jaw and snapped his head around. Johnson sank to the studio floor without a sound.
Capet straddled the unconscious commentator, but he stared at Justin. "You will be dead, Xiang. Not because I will win the fight, not because my nation demands your death, but because I want to see you dead!" Capet ripped the microphone free of his cooling vest and stalked off the set.
* * *
Justin let the announcer's voice-over fill his neurohelmet as he doublechecked the 'Mech's equipment. "Well, Kevin," the announcer was saying, "that was the most explosive interview you've ever had."
"Yeah."
"How's the jaw?"
Kevin's voice dropped to a low growl. "Hard to describe, Karl, but if you really want to know, maybe we can get Philip Capet to hit you after the fight."
Justin laughed as the announcer carefully nudged the conversation in another direction. The status monitor on his command console confirmed that both large lasers were operational. The auto-cannons appeared to be in fine working order, as were the twin, torso-mounted medium lasers. I must remember to use the cannons sparingly, as I don't have that much ammo for them. I'll only use them when the lasers need to cool down.
The green light on his command console flared to life. Justin smiled as the doors before him slid open and the holo-vision camera across the tunnel focused on his 'Mech. He instantly brought up both of his 'Mech's arms and stepped forward.
Kevin Johnson's voice filled the cockpit. "Well, Karl, do you see that? Xiang's using a Rifleman, just like Capet! This will make for an interesting match. Let's see if we can focus in on the crest there on the 'Mech's chest."
Yes, Kevin, do that. I'm sure your viewers will love it.
"Blake's Blood," Johnson blurted.
"What is it, Kevin?" Karl gasped. "The logo looks like a cartoon ghost to me, with a set of crosshairs surrounding it."
"That Rifleman belonged to Gray Noton," Johnson replied in a low tone. "Xiang chose it specially for its name."
"Which is?"
Johnson laughed coldly. "Legend-killer. "
Justin killed the commentary and stepped the Rifleman out into the corridor. He turned the ponderous 'Mech to the left and headed up the slight incline. The naturally smooth surfaces of the tunnel walls arced up to meet in a stalactite-festooned roof. Stalagmites and piles of debris from partially collapsed walls or ceiling dotted the tunnel floor, but did not impede the Rifleman's progress.
As Justin reached the far end of the tunnel and prepared to follow it around into the switchback on the right, he turned his Mech's vulnerable back to the wall. Sliding the 'Mech sideways, he let the tip of his left-hand guns peek into the corridor. When that drew no fire, Justin worked along until he had a clear view of the new tunnel.
It led up into darkness. As Justin switched over to infrared scanners, he saw a few heat pockets set along the walls ahead, but dismissed them as holovision cameras. Ascending slowly, he reached the crest of the tunnel.
At that point, Justin paused. He saw that the whole left side of this level section of the tunnel was gapped. The pillars formed where stalactites and stalagmites that have flowed together are large enough to hide a 'Mech in profile, but the spaces between them are too narrow to let this monster pass. That means I have to march all the way through this shooting gallery in one burst. I don't like it.
Justin looked up as the IR display revealed red tendrils coiling lazily up through the air at the tunnel's far end. Hello. He snapped both arms forward and waited. The second the swirling communications mount of the Garret Til-A com system came into view, Justin centered his crosshairs. He let them drift down as the other Rifleman's silhouette grew like a sailing ship emerging over the horizon. When Capet's canopy bobbed up, Justin let loose.
Cascades of white heat swirled around the ruby shafts of laser lire from the Legend-killer's arms. One large beam shucked armor from the other Rifleman's right shoulder. The other bean-stitched a series of small explosions across the 'Mech's left shoulder, blasting chips and chunks of armor into the air. The Legend-killer's medium lasers also scored the same targets as their larger cousins, spitting more half-melted ceramics onto the tunnel floor. One of the two autocannon bursts tore holes in Ishiyama behind Capet's Rifleman, while the other smashed armor from the 'Mech's right shoulder.
"Damn!" A wave of heat washed over Justin. The 'Mech's heat indicators spiked high into the red zone. This isn't an efficient machine. It vents heat poorly. Justin slapped the manual "shutdown" override with his right hand, then cursed again as Capet backed his Rifleman down the far slope.
Sweat coursed down Justin's face, leaving one droplet suspended from the tip of his nose. He shook his head to flick it off, then studied his heat monitors again. As the Legend-killer'% ten heat sinks vented the excess heat that his firing had created, the monitors slowly sank back down through the red and yellow zones to what MechWarriors often referred to as "green fields."
Justin centered his attention on the far end of the tunnel, but watched for heat or movement through the columns. Seeing nothing, he marched the Legend-killer into the tunnel. At each of the gray stone pillars, he stopped to wait, but there was no sign of Capet. Though that tunnel was only three hundred meters long, it took Justin fifteen minutes to journey through it.
He smiled as the producer's green light on his console began to blink urgently. Cautiously beginning his descent at the far end of the tunnel, he did his best to ignore it. I don't care if I'm moving too slowly. Just put more advertisements into the program.
The tunnel ended on a ledge midway up the side of a vast crevasse. Its steep sides sloped down for three levels, and were dotted with tunnel mouths on different levels. Justin saw burn marks on a number of them and realized that light, jump-capable 'Mechs could easily cross the opening. Not so, a heavy machine like this.
Above him the stalactite ceiling rose into darkness. Behind and to the left, he saw the pillars of the gallery he'd just traversed. On the opposite side, up above him, he saw a similarly designed tunnel. The crevasse curved back out of sight on the left, but extended straight on the right.
Justin kept the Legend-killer's back to the tunnel wall and moved laterally along the ledge. Suddenly, Capet's Rifleman appeared in an opening on the opposite wall. Justin smiled as he . brought his weapons into line with the Rifleman, and opened a ra-dio line to Capet. "It's over, Phihp."
"Is it, Xiang?" Capet's laughter filled Justin's cockpit. "Here's your surprise, Capellan. How do you like these tactics?"
Infrared images filled Justin's sight. The computer painted the silhouette of a 'Mech to his right, and another one to his left. Justin glanced left and saw a handless, humanoid Firestarter emerging from the tunnel mouth. An UrbanMech shuffled into view on his right. That's why the director's light was flashing. They wanted to warn me . . .
A high, keening wail echoed within his neurohelmet as the computer warned that each foe had a weapons lock on the Legend-killer.
"One more thing, Justin." Capet's voice was triumphant. "It seems I will command the regiment the Prince has offered for your head. It's time for you to die."
53
A2341CA
Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine
26 Ma
y 3027
Patrick Kell's voice filled the steel womb of Daniel Allard's Valkyrie. "So that's it, ladies and gentlemen. Because we have Kurita forces incoming, we're going to jump out of here ahead of them. Let me stress that the Kearny-Fuchida drive is fully charged, through we did not deploy the solar collector. Everything reports out at 100 percent effectiveness."
Just from the sound of his voice, I know he's not lying. If there were trouble, he'd tell us, Dan thought. Though all the equipment had checked out, none of the instruments could measure damage on the "molecular" level. Dan knew that Patrick believed every confident word he spoke, and that heartened him. From your lips to God's ears, Patrick.
The Kell Hound CO continued his video briefing. "Once we enter the Styx system, the Nuada will be launched. We expect our reception to be friendly and well-negotiated by radio before the Nuada arrives. But we'll have an ace already played if things get nasty. The Nuada will drop its two reinforced lances over a small docking bay on the dark side of the mining planetoid. It's on the side opposite the main bay entrance, but has a direct link to the docking bay.
"Our aero wing will deploy to cover the Cm. Captain Vander-meer will keep us at his pirate point, and we'll begin to use our engines to recharge, much as we have done here. If things look friendly, we'll move the Cu in and draw power directly from the planetoid."
Kell's image furrowed its brows. "I'll not kid you. All of this is dangerous. It could be the end of the Kell Hounds if we have a drive failure here or if someone anticipates our arrival at Styx." Patrick shook his head. "We'll make it, though, and that'll irritate Takashi Kurita more than bad sushi. There's no one in the Inner Sphere who deserves it more. Luck to you all."
And to you, Patrick. I wouldn't wait behind for all the beer in the Free Worlds League. Dan flicked switches on his command console. The on-board computer executed thousands of checks in mere seconds, then reported the results on the screen previously occupied by Patrick Kell. Dan opened a commlink. "Alpha Leader is at 100 percent," he said.
"Likewise, Captain," reported Austin Brand. "Alpha Three is green all the way." Following Meg's report, Eddie Baker added. "Alpha Four is aces up." Dan smiled to himself. "How about you, Cat?”
“All systems go." The man who normally piloted a Marauder quickly amended his statement. "The machine is ready, but I think my left hand will wither for lack of something to do."
"Yeah." Dan switched his radio over to the command frequency. "Salome, Alpha Lance is operational."
"Good. Beta is all green as well. You're the Tactical Commander on this drop, Dan. My Wolverine and Mike's Catapult are here for support because you've got the superior grasp of light 'Mech tactics. Let us know where you need us."
"Roger." Dan glanced at the timer ticking down on his console. He switched his radio over to the battle frequency for the whole assault team. "Ten seconds and counting. Brace, because we'll be in-system and away almost immediately."
Following his own advice, Dan slipped his hands from the joysticks down to the arms of the command chair itself as the clock revealed three seconds to jump. He felt the familiar, yet unsettling thrum of the K-F drive engaging. What was that? Is something wrong? Questions ripped through his brain as he sought to match his current feelings to the faded memories of all the other jumps he'd made.
Lights flared and twisted as always, but instead of the mosaic of soft, melting pastels, hard, crystalline daggers of intense color stabbed at his eyes. Glittering fragments of reality raked across his consciousness like nettles. They caught and tore, then shattered as he cried out in pain. Spinning away, they winked out of existence like fairy dust.
Dan snapped his eyes open. He felt the lurch and vibration as the Nuada disengaged itself from the Cucamulus. He floated up in his seat for a half-second, then his restraining straps caught him. From beneath his feet, he felt a strong tremor, then the gravity induced by the Nuada's engine thrust smashed him back down into his command chair.
Almost instantly, Patrick Kell's voice filled his neurohelmet. "Bad news, Dan. We've got two Kurita JumpShips at the zenith point. One DropShip is on a return vector for the JumpShips, but a scan reports traces of an ion trail heading in toward the planetoid. The ship must be on the sunside."
"Roger, Patrick. Thanks." Dan opened the battle frequency. "Heads up, campers. We'll have playmates when we hit solid ground." Dan reached out and flipped a switch. "Captain Helmer? Dan Allard here. What do you show on the planetoid?"
Captain Thomas Helmer of the Nuada Argetlan answered carefully. Dan could almost see the man studying a sensor screen as he selected his words for accuracy. When he spoke, however, there was not a trace of fear or anxiety in the Captain's voice. "The surface is full of pitted valleys and canyons. It's got enough metal in it to make the magscanners useless. Because we're coming in on the dark side, IR should work, but I'm getting nothing at this range."
"I understand. Have you located our target?"
"Affirmative. It actually has an active homing beacon. Wait! What's this?" Dan heard Helmer snap an order at someone on the bridge. "Patching visual through to you, Dan."
Dan watched as computer-generated topography filled an auxiliary monitor. A grid of green lines formed themselves into rolling hills and jagged mountains. In the distance, winking occasionally from between two particularly sharp mountains, Dan spotted the yellow rectangle designating their drop target. The computer added five yellow asterisks bouncing along on a direct course for the bay.
"What are those?"
Helmer coughed lightly. "I'm not sure. Mass marks them as thirty-five tons, give or take. Probably Panthers.”
“They haven't seen us, have they?"
Helmer laughed. "No, and it wouldn't make any difference if they had."
Dan frowned. "I don't understand."
"No Comsats, Dan. They're on the dark side. Until they get into the mining facilities, they can't communicate with the Drop-Ship or anyone else."
Dan nodded. "I see. We better beat them in. Would you mind goosing this baby?"
"My pleasure. Speed to 2.5 Gs. Twelve minutes to drop, Dan. Happy hunting."
* * *
Dan watched Cat Wilson's Panther streak planetward. The Valkyrie's jump jets stabbed flame from the bottoms of both feet and from the rocket pack on the 'Mech's back. The ion streams slowed the Valkyrie's descent, then lifted it and arced it forward. Cat's Panther, riding similar leg jets, floated up beside him and followed him into battle.
Fitzhugh's Catapult launched twin LRM volleys at the lead Kurita Panther. Five missiles tore armor from the Panther's head, and another quintet savaged its left leg. Eight more missiles zeroed in on the Panther's right arm, blasting every shred of armor from that limb, but failed to cripple it.
The Panther raised its PPC and triggered a blast at the Catapult. As the PPC beam whipped across the birdlike Catapult's right leg, it melted armor and sent droplets of molten ceramics streaming to the planetoid's surface.
The Catapult answered the Panther with all four of its medium lasers. Two scarlet laser beams slashed ugly, bubbling scars across the Panther's torso. Armor exploded away from the 'Mech's left arm as a third beam burned across its surface. The fourth beam sizzled into the Panther's damaged right arm, melting the last of the armor and eating hungrily into the tattered limb. In a bright burst of sparks, the charging coils on the Panther's PPC went black.
Salome's Wolverine descended at the rear of the Kurita lance. Targeting a Panther that was tracking Meg Lang's Wasp, Salome unleashed her 'Mech's full fury upon it. The shoulder launcher belched a full SRM flight, and four of them hit. Two missiles blasted armor from the Panther's left arm and leg. Two others, as though homing in on the Panther's weakness, blasted thin armor from the center and left portion of the 'Mech's back.
Realizing his predicament too late, the Panther pilot hit his jump jets. As he rose on columns of ions, the fire from Salome's autocannon punched through the broken armor on the left side of the torso. Meanwhile, the W
olverine's medium laser melted through the Panther's spine. Hot shards of armor rained to the ground, and a flash of heat spilled from the 'Mech's infrared silhouette on Dan's battle screens.
"Meg, one's on you, to your right." Dan watched as she reacted. She boosted power to the jump jets, then drew up the knees on her Wasp. The Wasp twisted wildly and arced back as the PPC beams and flights of SRMs released by two Panthers sailed wide of their careening target.
Flashing beneath the Wasp, Austin Brand's Panther tracked the Panther that Salome had already savaged. The PPC in the right hand of Brand's Panther released an azure energy bolt, and the SRM launcher over the 'Mech's heart sent its flight of four missiles up and away. Three of the missiles found their target and exploded armor from the enemy Panther's chest and right leg. The PPC beam struck the other Panther full in the chest, and sent all but the last layer of armor flaking away in a turquoise explosion.
Cat Wilson's PPC stabbed out. It drenched the planetoid's surface in cerulean highlights and lashed a third Panther across the chest. 'Mech armor boiled up, cracked loose, and dropped away in glowing plates. Cat's quartet of SRMs smashed into the same Panther. They blasted armor from either side of the torso, and cratered the armor on the Panther's right leg. Staggered, the Panther twisted to target Cat with its return volley of SRMs.
"Break wide, Cat!" The MechWarrior rolled his Panther as the SRMs twisted toward him. Two bursts against his 'Mech's right arm and crushed armor with fiery explosions. The only other missile to hit blasted armor from the Panther's chest.
The confidence in Cat's voice rang through clearly. "Thanks for the warning. It's all yours."
Dan dropped the gold crosshairs of his weapons systems on the third Panther and tightened his triggers. The medium laser mounted in the right arm of his ' Mech gouged chunks of armor from the ragged right side of the Panther's chest.
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